There are certain highly contagious diseases that, despite the availability of vaccines, continue to be serious health problems in developing and, in some cases, developed countries. For example, measles is a highly contagious human disease caused by the measles virus (MV), and vaccination programs have dramatically reduced its incidence. However, despite the success of global measles vaccination programs, measles was still responsible for an estimated 345,000 deaths in 2005, with most of these deaths occurring in developing countries. Measles outbreaks also continue to occur in developed countries that have failed to maintain a high level of population immunity. Global vaccination coverage is approximately 80% but, according to WHO estimates, more than 23 million infants did not receive their first dose of measles-containing vaccine in 2007. Tuberculosis is also a highly contagious disease that, despite the availability of vaccines, continues to be a serious health problem. Many significant developments have been made in the field of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. See, for example, the Garcea et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,165,471, 7,763,259, 2009/0033893 and 2011/0033893. Additionally, HPV vaccines are now commercially available. However, their use in developing countries is hampered by conditions necessary for administration. Safety, disposal, and wastage issues associated with using current lyophilized vaccines that require reconstitution with clean water and use of needles for injection remain a concern and limit widespread coverage in certain countries. New vaccine formulations for diseases such as these that are more easily administered, stable at ambient temperatures, easily transported, and cost effective would be beneficial.
Aerosol delivery of measles vaccines have been employed and overcome at least some of the disadvantages of needle-administered vaccines. Several clinical studies have been performed using aerosol measles vaccination by nebulizing commercial lyophilized formulations after reconstitution, and this route of administration resulted in equal or better immune responses in children greater than 10 months of age compared with injection. Additionally, dry powder vaccine formulations adapted for administration by inhalation are disclosed in the Sievers et al U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0035143 A1 and employ carriers such a myo-inositol and/or maltodextrin. Such dry powder formulations are advantageous in avoiding needle delivery and the need for reconstituting water, and may be supplied in unit dosage form to avoid waste. However, additional means for facilitating effective vaccination are desired as well.